On With the Show

Live from the Academy Awards, KTLA's Sam Rubin puts the "entertainment" in "entertainment reporter."

KTLA will air "Live From the Academy Awards" on Sunday, March 23, from 3 to 5 p.m., hosted by, from left, Mindy Burbano, Sam Rubin and Toni Senecal.

So how will this year's Academy Awards differ from previous
Oscar outings? One word: War.

For entertainment reporter Sam Rubin, the issue will loom
large on March 23, when, as of press time, he plans to cover the preshow on his
nationally syndicated television broadcast, "Live From the Academy Awards,"
despite the cancelation of celebrity arrivals on the red carpet out of respect
for the American war effort in the Mideast.

"I feel, like many in Hollywood do, rather conflicted,"
Rubin told The Journal. "I am not sure what the best thing to do is. Academy
Award producers have made it clear that 'the show will go on,' and that the
tone of the show will be adjusted as events in Iraq may warrant. But if there
are terribly violent images coming from that area, it will provide a stark and
sobering contrast to the usually glittery prom night atmosphere."

Rubin -- along with anchors Giselle Fernandez and Carlos
Amezcua and weatherman Mark Kriski -- is among the first faces many Angelenos
see each day as part of the self-effacing "KTLA Morning News" broadcast.

And if the gregarious, eager-to-please entertainment
reporter seems at home schmoozing it up with the A-list celebrities, don't let
appearances fool you. Occasionally, Rubin goes out on a limb to buck
conventional Hollywood wisdom. For example, before Oscar nominations were
announced in February, Rubin spent much airtime championing the little-seen
independent film, "Rabbit Proof Fence." He also criticizes the industry.
"[Hollywood] is not 'show friends,' it's 'show business,'" Rubin said, noting
that "the profitability has always outweighed the art, but never as much as
right now. There are gems to be found, but the vast majority is bad and getting
worse."

Lately, Hollywood pretentiousness has scaled new heights,
according to the reporter.

"One thing I do find pretty hilarious is the over-the-top
security at these events," Rubin said. "As if Hollywood thinks itself so
important to be a target. I don't think that. I never worry about security at
these kinds of things at all."

Rubin is just as cavalier on the air. He joined "Morning
News" in 1991, just a few months before the ratings-challenged broadcast
adopted its signature casual-as-a-cup of-coffee attitude.

"We all thought we were going to be fired," Rubin recalled.
"That's when things clicked because ratings were low. We just didn't care."

Breaking news like the L.A. riots forced "Morning News"
anchors to improvise off teleprompter. The spontaneous approach quickly shot
the program to No. 1.

Sometimes, the show's atmosphere can be too casual. Rubin
was suspended twice by KTLA and parent company Tribune Entertainment -- in
December 1998 and last September -- for on-air, off-the-cuff remarks about
interim "Morning News" executive producer Jon Fischer and KABC-TV general
manager Arnie Kleiner, respectively.

"I don't regret anything I've said," Rubin said. "But we are
so comfortable, there are days you forget you're on TV. Every day for 11 years,
out of thousands of reports, I get in trouble for two. That's a pretty good
batting average. I never really dwell on it. It's not a good scandal. It's not
rehab."

"To me, the best broadcast journalists should be the best
writers," said Rubin, who also hosts the "The Sam Rubin Show," broadcast
weekday mornings following Howard Stern on KLSX 97.1.

"I write every single word," he said of his news copy. "I
can sleep in an extra hour and a half, but I don't. I really enjoy putting the
report together."

A Westside native, Rubin, 43, has been interested in
entertainment since childhood, when he attended films at the now-defunct
Pickwood Theater on Pico and Westwood boulevards. Rubin grew up near Cheviot
Hills, had his bar mitzvah at Congregation Mogen David and graduated from the
University High School and Occidental College.

His mother is a German-born Jew who left the country because
of her religion. "She has always remained bright and optimistic and not bitter
about her ordeal, and I admire her so very much for that," Rubin said.

Rubin gamely participates in KTLA-organized charity events
and commits his own time to National Multiple Sclerosis Society functions. He
was also a Jewish Image Awards presenter in September.

On Jan. 9, Rubin and wife Julie celebrated their 15th
wedding anniversary. Rubin still resides on the Westside, where he and his
wife, who is not Jewish, raise daughters Perry, 7, and Rory, 2.

"As an interfaith couple, we try to figure what best to do
with our kids," said Rubin, who sends Rory to Temple Isaiah because "the
preschool is held in the highest regard."

Through his children, Rubin has reconnected with his
culture.

"I am more aware now of my Jewishness as an adult,
particularly given the world situation," he said.

Early in his career, Rubin noted, "some agents suggested it
would be easier to get employment in other cities with a more generic-sounding
name. But Los Angeles is my home, and I am, among other things, a Jewish man
here. I would never even consider changing my name."

Rubin's name occasionally makes a cameo credit on a feature
or TV show. But the self-deprecating reporter laughs off any thespian
aspirations, insisting that even playing himself can be challenging.

"I am the world's worst actor," he said. "If some show is
misguided enough to put me on it, who am I to refute their bad judgment?"

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